Auditing a nationwide vascular registry--the 4-year Finnvasc experience. Finnvasc Study Group.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the validity of a national vascular registry.


METHODS
17,465 vascular and endovascular procedures, immediate reoperations excluded, registered in the Finnvasc registry from 26 centres during the years 1991-1994.


METHODS
Comparison of the number of registered procedures with hospital records, comparison of initial registrations with a random sample of re-registration and comparison of the 1-year local data input of one major centre to the same data input of the central unit.


RESULTS
The rate of missing registrations was 19% ranging from 0-47%. The data of the re-registered forms were in agreement with the original data in 93% of all data points, the range being from 81-100%. There was a difference of 1.5% in the data between the major centre and the central unit.


CONCLUSIONS
The Finnvasc registry makes it possible to audit vascular surgery nationally, although a potential limitation is centres with low registration rates.
Kantonen
I
I
Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
Lepäntalo
M
M
Salenius
J P
JP
Forsström
E
E
Hakkarainen
T
T
Huusari
H
H
Jaakkola
A
A
Kaarne
M
M
Kaartinen
P
P
Kivivuori
R
R
Kostiainen
S
S
Lehtonen
J
J
Loponen
P
P
Luther
M
M
Mäenpää
I
I
Nikula
P
P
Riekkinen
H
H
Rissanen
K
K
Vilkko
P
P
Ylönen
K
K
D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D011786:Quality Control; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*